It's not often life stops long enough for you to exist in absolute peace while simply taking in the joy around you. In these moments you know you've been given a precious gift. A gift I hope each of you receive during this holiday season.
Like most of you my life is filled with responsibility, hustles from one thing to the next, a filled calendar and a mind that is constantly on the move. Even as a mindfulness coach, I find myself struggling to schedule five minutes to just sit, relax and breathe-let alone consciously take in the simple joys that surround me. Tonight was different.
Early this evening amongst the busyness of the holiday season, my 8-year-old daughter turned off the TV, walked into the kitchen and asked if we could just hang out together. Now let's be clear, she was watching her favorite "How to Train Your Dragon" episode that she begged to watch right before this freak occurrence. I was shocked. In my head I'm thinking, hell yes!
Then a beautiful thing happened. I dropped everything I was doing and time stopped. We went outside and blew bubbles in the cold and blew bubbles in the kitchen. Yep, I'm the mom that lets my kid blow bubbles in the house. We baked pumpkin bread. Albeit from a box, we still did it together. And we giggled while taking 100 selfies that barely turned out. Tonight, time stopped and I relished in the simple joys of complete imperfection that surrounded me. What a gift.
This holiday season my one wish is that you all take time to stop and relish in the simple joys surrounding you. For many people this is a difficult time of struggle and pain, and for others the race of the season can be exhausting. Find solace in the simple joy that comes your way. From a bird outside your window, an artistic swirl the barista put in your latte to that little one (human or pet) that wants a moment of time with you to play. Take notice of the daily gifts of joy that come your way.
Happy Holidays!
Author, speaker & coach, Gina Soleil is acclaimed author of Fuel Your Business: How to energize people, ignite action and drive profit. She blogs and speaks about how to create a life where you're energized, feel good and happy! Visit ginasoleil.com and follow her on Twitter @ginasoleilworld.